Traditional semiconductor based integrated circuit technology, such as technology based on silicon or gallium arsenide device technology, is reaching its physical limits in terms of device size, switching frequency, and power consumption. Moreover, integrated circuits deployed in data centers are consuming increasing amounts of power. This includes power consumed by leakage current when semiconductor devices are not switching. There is substantial interest in building quantum computers that can perform certain types of useful computations (e.g., quantum chemistry) faster and more cost-effectively than any existing digital computer technology.
One approach to addressing the limits of traditional semiconductor technology is the use of superconducting logic based devices. Such devices are typically cooled to cryogenic temperatures in order to function in a superconducting state. Refrigeration devices to provide this cooling to superconducting logic devices are expensive and consume significant amounts of energy. Thus, there remains ample opportunity for improvement computers built with superconducting logic based devices including interconnects used to transmit signals between sets of superconducting logic based devices.